The twelfth biennial INGID conference is approaching, taking place alongside the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) conference in Barcelona, Spain from the 21st-24th September. With sessions covering everything from live infusion demonstration workshops to presentations on the psychological impact of primary immunodeficiency disease and cutting-edge developments in newborn screening and gene therapy, the conference will provide something for everyone.
Set in the city of La Rambla and Antonio Gaudí, those attending the conference can also look forward to sampling the culture, architecture and food of Barcelona, along with an organised trip to La Sagrada Família. William Blouin, an INGID member from Florida in the US, is excited about the social aspects of the conference, and hopes to fit in a visit to his favourite tapas place, Bilbao Berria on the Plaça Nova. Conference delegates from around the world agree that the most valuable part of the conference is the chance to meet other nurses working in treating immunodeficiency. William notes “we are all so different, but have so much in common and so much to share; it is transcultural nursing at its best!”. Christine Symons, from Plymouth in the UK, agrees and is anticipating “the chance to network, have informal chats to colleagues, catch up with new products/ways of doing things/innovations but mostly to meet other nurses doing the same job in different parts of the world.”
Alongside keynote talks, workshops and presentations on critical topics, the conference program also includes poster viewing, with examples of nursing practice from around the world. William Blouin is particularly looking forward to the poster sessions because they provide “insight into what we do on a day-to-day basis in our practice; how we think, and how we collectively move nursing into the future.” Christine Symons will be presenting a session on care at the end of the life spectrum, a challenging topic which will highlight the importance of adapting nursing care for different contexts. She says “I am hoping to learn as much from other people’s experiences as from sharing our own”. The exchange of ideas, clinical practices and personal experiences are sure to invigorate all conference attendees, adding to the strength and diversity of the international community of immunodeficiency nurses.
